“Martin is the songwriter, Alan the good musician, Dave the singer, and I was banging around” – so Andy Fletcher jokingly described his role in Depeche Mode in 1989 in a documentary from Da Pennebaker. However, its actual function within the synth pop legends was always the subject of discussions in fan circles. With Dave Gahan as a charismatic front man and Martin Gore as a musical mastermind, founding member Fletcher was considered a kind of question mark for many. Gavin Edwards from the American Rolling Stone once wrote: “Martin Gore writes the songs, Dave Gahan sings, and Andy Fletcher appears to the photo shoots and collects the checks.” (See also the well -known running gag: “Dave: Good Vocals. Martin: Good Songs. Alan: Good Sounds. Andy: Good Morning!”)
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Andy Fletcher: childhood and beginnings
Andrew John Fletcher was born on July 8, 1961 in British Nottingham. He grew up as the oldest of four children. When he was two years old, the family moved to Basildon, where his father had a job as an engineer in a cigarette factory. He visited the Nicholas Comprehensive School, where he was sitting in the same class with a young man named Martin Gore. Fletcher and his buddy Vince Clarke made his first musical attempts at the band No Romance in China, where he played bass. Fletcher played several instruments, dominated the bass as well as the guitar, but also increasingly devoted himself to synthesizers and samplers. The band didn’t last long, but Fletcher and Clarke continued. Composition of Sound was the new band of the two.
Then Fletcher’s school friend Martin Gore came across the band. The line-up was completed by Dave Gahan-Depeche Mode were born. As the story continued, it is known: Vince Clarke left the group after the first album, and two years later Alan Wilder was added, who significantly shaped the band’s sound.
Andy Fletcher: Successes and Rolle at Depeche Mode
The short version: Depeche Mode developed into the largest synth pop band ever, landed world hits with “Enjoy the Silence” and “Personal Jesus” and celebrated with albums like Violator (1990) and Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993) international success. After Wilder exit in 1995, Gahan, Gore and Fletcher remained as a core cast and continued the band.
His role within the band was often underestimated-not least, since he does not have a single Writing Credit on Depeche mode pieces. For this, “Fletch” was all the more important in the background – one than one who held the band together, but was also organized. Andy Fletcher himself often felt misunderstood in this regard. In an interview with Electronic Beats He said: “Sometimes it is frustrating not to be taken seriously. You could also say that my job is the most important – without me the band would no longer exist. But that’s the same in large companies: the people who do a good job in the background do not get as much attention as those who come to the microphone and announce the good quarterly figures. ”
Relationship with Martin Gore and Dave Gahan
The relationship between the three remaining band members remained friendly, even if Fletcher – unlike Gahan and Gore – never wanted to move to the USA. In 2017 he explained in an interview with Hot Press: “Yes, now, I like to describe it like this: For me, Dave is more like a brother. Martin has been my best friend since school. The only problem with Martin is that he moved from London to California. Both married Americans, which of course plays a major role. Calling him alone, you have to consider the time shift. With Dave I had small arguments every now and then, but I think that the actual spirit – does not intend to do a pun – is pretty good within the band. ”
Psychological problems
In 1994, Fletcher set 39 concerts of the Exotic Tour/Summer Tour ’94 out of. The reason was psychological problems that forced him to withdraw from tour life. According to Mute Records founder Daniel Miller, Fletcher had to fight with considerable personal difficulties during this time. “Fletch had great difficulties, he had personal problems,” said Miller loudly dmwiki In a BBC documentary from 2001. His place was taken by Daryl Bamonte, who had supported the band in various functions since its foundation in 1980.
Projects outside the band
However, Andy Fletcher also had a life outside of Depeche Mode. He rose as a DJ and founded his own label Toast Hawaii in 2002, through which he marketed bands like client. Toast Hawaii Incidentally, the name of Fletcher’s never published solo album, which he recorded on cassette around 1983. Then he sang cover versions of his favorite songs and, according to Martin Gore or Alan Wilder, was accompanied by Martin Gore or Alan Wilder. According to Wilder, Mute Records boss Dan Miller could not be convinced of actually publishing the album-this is what the Depeche Mode fan page writes dmlive.wiki. In the 1990s he was also the owner of the London restaurant “Gascogne”.
Andy Fletcher: Surprising death
Andy Fletcher died on May 26, 2022 at the age of 60. “We are shocked and full of grief about the early death of our dear friend, family member and bandmate Andy ‘Fletch’ Fletcher” – with these words, Depeche Mode announced the surprising death of her band member. “Fletch had a real heart of gold and was always there when you need support, a lively conversation, a good laugh or a cool beer,” continued the band.
Two days later it was also announced what Fletcher died: he succumbed to an aortic dissection at home. “Even if it was far too early, he died of a natural cause and without a long time,” wrote Gore and Gahan, the Fletcher on the album Memento Mori appreciated. Fletcher left his wife Gráinne Fletcher and two children.
Death, according to Gahan in an interview after Fletcher’s death, had forced him and Gore to rethink their relationship. “Martin lost his advocate – someone who always fought for Martin,” Gahan told Gahan Mojo. “If there was ever a disagreement about a song or part, Fletch put me down and said, ‘The thing is, Dave … Martin and I spoke and …’ I mean that it got really old. Why doesn’t Martin tell me it himself? And at this point we had arrived at the last album. ”